Man twice convicted of Marine's murder asks for 3rd trial

Jul. 30, 2013 - 11:00AM
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LEWISTON, IDAHO — A judge in north-central Idaho will decide if a man who has already been convicted twice of murder for the deaths of two people in 1983 should get a third trial.

The Lewiston Tribune reports that 56 -year-old Mark Lankford is appealing his 2008 jury conviction for the beating deaths of Marine Capt. Robert Bravence and his wife, Cheryl, at an Idaho campsite.

Lankford was originally sentenced to death for the crime, but in 2007 an appellate court found there was an error in jury instructions and ordered a new trial. That trial resulted in a sentence of life in prison.

Now he contends he should get a third trial because he says he has new evidence. A hearing on the matter began Monday in Orofino’s 2nd District Court.